


Introspection

by MonPetitTresor



Series: Changing the Past [5]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: Gabriel's POV, No Real Dialogue, Short
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-22
Updated: 2017-04-22
Packaged: 2018-10-22 10:24:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,878
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10695072
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MonPetitTresor/pseuds/MonPetitTresor
Summary: A brief glimpse into Gabriel's thoughts after the morning's conversation





	Introspection

From his discreet vantage point hidden in a tree, Gabriel watched, invisible, as Sam and Meg did an afternoon spar session. The archangel had a feeling that Sam was using this to distract herself from the phone calls that she knew she had to make at some point today, but also as a way to help burn out some of the stress that had built inside the bunker ever since last night’s conversation. The one today had only made things even worse.

Any other time and Gabriel probably would’ve enjoyed watching them spar. Two gorgeous women stripped down to exercise tank tops and yoga pants – who the hell wouldn’t want to watch that? Right now, his mind was too focused on other things to truly appreciate it. Everything that he’d learned these past few days was playing through his mind.

Gabriel sighed to himself and shifted to get more comfortable on his tree branch. How the hell had he got himself into this mess?

He looked up at the two women, watching as Sam executed a rather impressive flip of Meg that ended with the ex-demon on the ground with a foot on her back and a hand at her neck. If this had been a real fight and Sam had been carrying the right kind of blade, she would’ve killed her opponent. Gabriel watched her draw back, saw the smile that lit up her face and _almost_ managed to reach those big, brown eyes of hers, and he had to sigh. He knew exactly how he’d gotten into this mess. _Around since the dawn of time and still a sucker for a big damn pair of sad eyes._

Gabriel was secure enough to admit that it’d been Sam’s body that had caught his attention first. He’d seen her on the campus and had admired her only to watch as someone crashed into her and it looked like she was crying. The sight of her soul had been next. This glorious, bright, amazing soul that he recognized immediately as the one made to house his brother. It sort of fit that the soul of the Morningstar’s vessel would be as bright as Lucifer had one been.

But when Gabriel had gone up to her to see what was going on, unable to quell his suspicions or his need to get just a bit closer to that soul, he’d squatted down by her and had gotten his first glimpse of those eyes. He’d been doomed from that moment on.

There’d been pain and grief there that was far older than someone so young should have. Up close, he’d seen something to her soul, age and wear that shouldn’t be there, and he’d known something was wrong. This wasn’t right. But there’d been something there that had shielded him from being able to truly look at it. Now, with the warding she had on her back, Gabriel doubted anyone would be able to tell the truth about how old that soul really was.

That brought Gabriel’s thoughts full circle back to the ones that he’d really been trying to avoid. Without realizing it, his hands clenched into fists.

Last night’s conversation had proved revealing, letting slip some things and keeping others hidden. Sam had played him well and Gabriel could admire that. She was sharp, this kid. But she’d let enough slip to him, and then Meg had shared a bit more later on, for Gabriel to piece it all together in his head. Hearing Sam snap it out at them this morning had gutted him.

Gabriel’s grace rolled nauseatingly inside his vessel at the idea of this soul – this gorgeous, beautiful soul – spending any time in the Cage with his brother. There were few who knew Lucifer better than Gabriel. He knew just how furious his brother would’ve been at being tricked and trapped down there once more by a mortal. Especially the one mortal who was supposed to house him as he fought.

_“My body was pulled out by that night. My soul… my soul stayed there for around a year and a half before Dean managed to make a deal with Death to pull it out.”_

Clouds built in the distance as Gabriel tried to fight back his rage. A _year and a half_ Sam had spent down in the Cage. Time ran faster in Hell, and even faster down by the Cage. Even if time in the Cage ran like the rest of Hell, that would’ve put her down there for _one hundred and eight years_. But Gabriel knew the number was higher. _Decades_ higher. Her time in the Cage, plus her time on Earth, would probably put her soul close to half a millennia old, maybe even more. And that didn’t factor in if Lucifer manipulated time _inside_ the Cage. All archangels were capable of doing that. A time loop, anchored on the human soul that shouldn’t have been there, and he could’ve stretched time longer if he so wished. Gabriel was sure that he would’ve.

Thinking on it brought to life the kind of rage that he hadn’t felt in eons. The rage of an archangel. It put the temper that the pagan part of him had to shame. Pagan rage held nothing on the true rage of a pissed off archangel. No one, absolutely _no one_ , should have to live through something like that. No soul should be tortured that way. And to think that this woman that he was just starting to get to know, who was pulling him in despite his best intentions to stay the hell out of all of this, had been through it? Well…

Wings that he’d kept hidden for so long were trying to rise up as if in defense of this strange little mortal he’d never met before, yet had apparently been close enough to in a different timeline to give his life for. Because Gabriel knew, even if Sam didn’t – or wouldn’t admit to knowing. Sending her back in time like this, strong enough to actually meld her with the alternate version of herself, would’ve taken everything he had. It would’ve either left him extremely weak and fully open for Amara’s attack, or it would’ve killed him.

Who had they been to one another in her timeline? They were something close, he could guess that much. The way that she looked at him wasn’t the look of someone who’d lost a casual friend or anything like that. They’d been close.

That right there should’ve warned Gabriel to fly far and fast away from here. “Idiot.” He grumbled to himself. He looked up at the sky and spoke to a Father he knew hadn’t paid attention in a long time. “What do You want me to do here, Dad? According to her timeline, You’re out there somewhere, playing prophet. I’m not stupid enough to think I’ll find You if You don’t want to be found, but I could sure use some advice here. Especially with what’s at risk here.”

Surprise, surprise, he didn’t get any response. Not that he’d expected one.

Gabriel watched Sam and Meg start to circle one another again and he knew, he _knew_ he should run. They weren’t watching him right now, weren’t doing anything to hold him here. Every step of the way Sam had made sure that Gabriel had an out. If he ran, he had no doubt she’d let him go, no matter how she felt about it. Yet… he couldn’t.

He couldn’t run away and leave them to fight this on their own. Stopping the Apocalypse, he would’ve said it was a fool’s errand a few days ago. Only here was proof right here that there _was_ a way to stop it. Even if it was a way that Gabriel wasn’t going to let happen again. If the Winchesters could come up with that kind of insane plan once before, he was sure they could all come up with something now. Maybe. Hopefully. Something that _didn’t_ involve Sam leaping down into the Cage.

As much as he cursed himself for it, Gabriel knew he wasn’t going to go anywhere. A small part of him, one that he tried to ignore, knew that he wouldn’t have left even if the Apocalypse wasn’t hanging over them. There was something about Sam – something that intrigued him. If was like he was drawn in to her for some reason or another. It was like, he felt like he should know her, like there was something _familiar_ about her, and it scared the hell out of him yet drew him in even more. Even though his self-preservation was demanding that he ignore it and leave those thoughts alone, he knew he wouldn’t. He had to figure out what was going on there. What had they been in their own timeline? And why did he feel a strange sort of connection to her now?

There were so many questions and Gabriel would never get his answers if he didn’t stick around. The archangel knew getting them wasn’t going to be as easy as they’d been so far. They’d caught Sam for a loop this morning and had her just enough off kilter to get more than she’d intended to give, that was obvious. She was going to be even more on her guard now. _Especially_ with her family coming. Getting answers wasn’t going to be easy.

That was fine, though. Gabriel had patience when it was needed. Samantha Winchester? Yeah, she was going to need all that patience, but there was something that told him it’d be worth it.

Gabriel gave a shake of his head and tried to push those thoughts back. The girls were starting to wrap up their training session. That meant that he’d been sitting out here far longer than he’d planned to.

Time to start actually trying to build plans of his own. Sam was supposed to call a Bobby Singer this evening and see about starting to warn other hunters and maybe even see about reaching out to her family to bring them here. After which, she was clearly planning on running, avoiding them for some reason or another. Which was stupid, because it’d put her at risk and leave her out in the open where she could be attacked or killed, leaving one of her family members stupid enough to go and make a deal that would take them right down to Hell and start up everything they were trying to start.

The seed of a plan began to build in Gabriel’s head.

Sam was going to hate it. She was going to be positively _furious_ with him. However, the more he thought about it, the more he liked it. It would take care of protecting those that needed protecting and keep Sam from potentially running out there and putting herself stupidly in danger.

Thinking of just how pissed off Sam was going to be, Gabriel smirked and pushed himself up on his branch. The idea of the temper that might light up those big eyes was enough to make his smirk grow into a grin. He always had been attracted to the wild cards.

With a snap that echoed off through the trees, he was gone.


End file.
